Bomber Strategy
The Bomber may seem huge and hard to master, but there is more to the bomber than meets the eye. Being a pilot and being a gunner are very different jobs, and the skills of one do not necessarily transfer to the skills of the other. Quick Tips *You cannot outrun fighters, so don't try. *Bombers are tough, but not invincible. *Communicate with your gunners if you are a pilot, and your pilot if you are a gunner. *Your job is to bomb, do not get distracted by other tasks. *Know your enemy. You shold know the difference between a fast aircraft with little armament and a slow one with heavy armament. General Piloting *You are piloting a large aircraft full of men, so be careful. Don't take unnecessary risks in the pursuit of glory or experience. *Communication is key, so having a good intercom system is necessary. *As always, owning the aircraft is better than borrowing it, as you can customize the aircraft and provide yourself with a better chance of survival, higher speed and better wepaonary. *If you are used to smaller, more manouverable aircraft, you should probably hand the piloting job to someone else. *Burning out the engines are the worst possible thing you can do, so keeping them on the full setting is not recommended for long hauls. *Staying in formation can provide you with alot more defense than being by yourself. *Staying steady and level can provide your gunnner with a better chance of hitting, even though diving and moving around more can help you not get hit by fighters. *Keep a steady path when you get close to the target, so the bomb aimer can aim correctly. *Flying higher makes you harder to hit, and only certain specialized fighters can threaten you, and Anti Aircraft guns can barely hit you. *Once you drop your bombs, you're much lighter, remember that when landing so you don't bounce too much. Bomber Formations When conducting large raids, it is advisable to stay in certain formations to increase defensive firepower. 'Basic V' *The most basic formation of bombers is three bombers in a vee-shape. *This formation has several advantages, including the bombers saving fuel by flying through each other's wakes, and a defensive net of guns being formed through the V. *The V Formation is the basic building block for any larger formation. *The V Formation is formed by the flight leader forming up at the front of the squadron. The right wingman then forms up to the right of the flight leader, and slightly above him. The left wingman forms up to the left of the flight leader and slightly below him. Double V *For slightly larger raids than the single V can sustain, a double V is advisable. *The formation is the same as the standard V, except with six planes now. *One flight of three forms up behind the other flight of three. *This saves alot of fuel by allowing the second V to fly in the wake of the first, making it much easier for the second V. ''' Javelin Down''' *The Javelin Down formation is named so because it looks like a javelin spear from the front. *The Javelin Down formation consists of planes being seperated vertically and horizontally. * A number of flights, each made of two squadrons of three planes, each form up after taking off from the airfield. *They are divided into high, middle and low. Each contains an equal number of planes. * The planes are stepped diagonally towards the sun so attacking fighters are at a disadvantage. The low flight is lower down, to the left and behind the middle and upper section, the middle section is at the front between the high and low sections, and the high section is up to the right and behind the middle section, but still in front of the lower section. *This allows the maximum number of defensive guns to be brought against any attacking force while not compromising the formation's ability to drop bombs. *However, the formation is somewhat hard to maneuver, as each plane must turn exactly to avoid colliding with other planes. *Though all the defensive guns can be brought to bear on fighters, a fighter escort is still desirable for defense against fighters as even the massed fire of hundreds of machine guns may not be enough to stop some fast, maneuravable fighters. General Gunnery *Remember, you are defending a large aircraft. Destroying enemy aircraft is paramount. *Always reload when in a low point of a battle, or you may run out in the middle of one. *Look out for the tail and friendly aircraft! Shooting the tail is certain death for the aircraft and shooting friendly aircraft will decrease the effectiveness of the attack. *Conserve ammunition, as you have limited amounts of it. *Look out for aircraft flying high above, below and to the sides of the aircraft. These can surprise you. Category:Strategy Category:Bombers